Minnesota medical cannabis market opens to PTSD patients

Minnesotans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder are now permitted to start buying medical marijuana from the state’s dispensaries, potentially providing a boost to the state’s sluggish MMJ program.

Minnesota approved PTSD as a new qualifying condition late in 2016, but patients weren’t permitted to obtain medical cannabis to treat the illness until Aug. 1.

Despite the addition of the illness to Minnesota’s list of qualifying conditions, only 105 patients with PTSD had started or completed the registration process in the month leading up to legal sales, according to state data.

Last summer, patients suffering from chronic pain that couldn’t be treated with other means were allowed to use medical marijuana, a move that added thousands of customers to Minnesota’s MMJ pool.

Meanwhile, patient advocates are pushing to add even more qualifying conditions, including autism, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Colorado, Delaware and New Hampshire have also added PTSD as qualifying conditions this year.

– Associated Press and Marijuana Business Daily